Fairing for marine tow-lines



Feb. 8, 1966 R. RATHER ETAL 3,

FAIRING FOR MARINE TOW-LINES Filed June 5, 1964 Pay Z. Raf/26w V///m/f/7 P. 606'f/0/70 INVENTORS United States Patent 3,233,571 FAIRING FUR MARINE TOW-LINES Roy L. Rather and Vihnuth P. Goerland, Houston, Tex., assignors to Commercial Engineering Corporation, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,847 7 Claims. (Cl. 114235) This invention relates to fairings for marine tow-lines and is particularly concerned with stabilizing such fairings attached to a non-buoyant trailing section with proper counterbalance forward of the leading edge during the towing operation.

In previous marine tow-line devices, particularly where the pay load (sensors, cables, or other non-buoyant objects) causes the fairings to be relatively heavy in the trailing section, the weight toward the back end of the fairings will sometimes tend to cause them to rotate, the problem becoming particularly acute as the towing angle approaches the horizontal. When the tail rotates out of its normal dead aft trailing position so that the faired section assumes an angle of attack relative to the stream, an action, commonly known as kiting, occurs. This means that the tow line trails off to one side rather than vertically down and aft.

Therefore, this invention has as one of its objects, provision of such fairings with means for making the moment of forces caused by weight forward of the tow point exceed that aft of the tow point to more than counterbalance the heavy, non-buoyant tail section.

In general, the present invention comprises a fairing member which has been outfitted at its leading edge with 21 directly forwardly extending elongate member such as a rod which carries a weight or weighted member at its free end or a bar having its center of gravity nearest its free end. Since in towing, the leading edge of the fairing will normally be canted, relative to the vertical, the weighted extension extends essentially straight into the direction of flow of the current passing over the fairing. Moreover, the plane of its vertical axis is made generally coextensive with the vertical axis of the fairing and at an acute angle relative to the upper portion of the leading edge of the fairing in order to minimize overall drag.

More particular illustration of the invention may be had by reference to the following description of that particular embodiment thereof which is shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an exaggerated schematic view generally illustrating the use of a faired tow-line embodying one form of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a fairing in towing position.

FIGURE 3 is a View along line 33 of FIGURE 2, partly in section and partly in plan.

FIGURE 4 shows a variation of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of hinge 10.

Reference numerals are employed as follows:

9threaded coupling 10-hinge element 19lower portion 2il-recess Generally speaking, faired marine tow-lines are employed for the purpose of towing an instrument pod 5 during oceanographic surveys and the like. To illustrate, an oceanographic survey vessel 1 may be conveniently outfitted with a conventional drum mechanism 2 carried at the stern or over the side of vessel 1 as by means of frame 3. In turn, drum 2 carries a tow-line 4 and is adapted, as by means of an appropriate drive mechanism (not shown and not forming a part of this invention), to reel in or pay-out tow-line 4.

To house the sensors, reduce drag, eliminate vibration, prevent whiplash and the like and to provide what is more frequently referred to as good swim characteristics, tow-line 4 is typically provided with a plurality of fairings 6 which may be any of various constructions.

Fairing 6 may be most conveniently discussed by reference to its leading edge 16, its trailing edge 17 and its upper and lower portions generally indicated by reference numerals It; and 19, respectively. It will be seen that fairing 6, which may carry a pay load between the two trailing cheek plates, is rotatably carried by tow-line 4, which may concentrically carry conductors 15. Towline 4 passes through fairing 6 adjacent its leading edge. In turn, tow-line 4 has a shoulder 14 which is loosely mateably received within a recess 20 of fairing 6 to prevent longitudinal displacement thereof relative to towline 4. Other embodiments might Well have a shoulder located at some other point, for instance, near the bottom of the fairing, to prevent this longitudinal displacement.

However, since fairing 6 is rotatable relative to towline 4, relatively large fairings, heavily instrumented, would tend to displace laterally angularly during towing because the force moment is aft of the tow point, resulting in overbalance and tending to cause negative swim characteristics.

The present invention, as above stated, provides means operating to prevent this displacement.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, this is done by outfitting the leading edge 16 with a forwardly extending rod '7 which carries an ellipsoid weight 11 at its free end to thereby counterbalance fairing 6 against lateral angular displacement.

It will be noted, in the embodiment shown, that rod 7 forms an acute angle with the upwardly extending portion of leading edge 16 and lies directly within the plane of fairing 6. This is done to eliminate, insofar aspossible, any additional drag which rod 7 and weight 11 may contribute. In this respect, it is of course desirable to optimize the angle of repose as nearly as possible. In some operations, the angle may be easily determined in which case rod 7 may be fixed in relation to leading edge 16 as by weld 8, such as shown in FIGURE 2. Alternatively, for ease of storage, it may be removably fixed as by a threaded coupling means 9 such as: that shown in FIGURE 3.

However, it may be desired to provide for variable angular alignment of rod 7 relative to leading edge 16. In this event, it may be convenient to provide connection between rod 7 and leading edge 16 by means of a hinge element 10 carried by bracket 12 as shown in FIGURE 4. In this case, one might employ a nut bolt and lock washer assembly 13, as shown in FIGURE 5 or some equivalent means to achieve various angular positioning of rod 7, as indicated in dotted line in FIGURE 4.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that the present invention provided means effective to offset the tendency of larger rotatably-carried fairing members, to displace laterally, by rotation about the tow-line under the force of their over-balanced tail section.

It is to be understood however that the herein given illustration and description of one embodiment of this improvement is not to be taken as definitive of scope of the invention itself, which may equally well take form in other embodiments.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fairing member having leading and trailing edges and adapted for use with marine tow-lines, the improvement comprising;

an elongate member, one end of which is carried by said leading edge of said fairing to form an acute angle therewith and lie on a line normally intersected by the plane of said fairing and a plane essentially horizontal when said fairing is secured to and being towed by a marine tow-line, the other end of said member being free;

and, the center of gravity of said member being intermediate its said ends but nearest its said free end.

2. In a fairing member having leading and trailing edges and adapted for use with marine tow-lines, the improvement comprising;

an elongate member, one end of which is carried by said leading edge of said fairing to form an acute angle therewith and lie on a line normally intersected by the plane of said fairing and a plane essentially horizontal when said fairing is secured to and being towed by a marine tow-line, the other end of said member being free;

and, an ellipsoid weight member formed at said free end of said elongate member.

3. In a fairing member having leading and trailing edges and adapted for use with marine tow-lines, the. improvement comprising;

an elongate member, one end of which is carried by said leading edge of said fairing to form an acute angle therewith and lie on a line normally intersected by the plane of said fairing and a plane essentially horizontal when said fairing is secured to and being towed by a marine tow-line, the other of said member being free;

and, an ellipsoid weight member formed at said free end of said elongate member,

said weight member being removably secured to said fairing.

4. In a fairing member having leading and trailing edges and upper and lower portions and adapted for use ith marine tow-lines, the improvement comprising;

a threaded element carried by said fairing and accessible at the leading edge thereof;

an elongate member one end of which is removably threadably connected to said threaded member to lie in the plane of said fairing to define an acute angle with said leading edge of said upper portion;

and, an ellipsoid weight carried by the other end of said elongate member.

5. In a fairing member having leading and trailing edges and upper and lower portions and adapted for use with marine tow-lines, the improvement comprising;

a hinge element carried by said fairing adjacent the leading edge thereof;

an elongate member having one end swingably secured to said element and adapted to be travelled toward and away from the leading edge of said fairing through a plane which is coextensive with the plane of said fairing;

means for latching said elongate member at different points of travel;

and, a weight secured to the other end of said elongate member.

6. The combination with a fairing member having leading and trailing edges for use with marine tow-lines wherein the fairing member tends to laterally angularly rotate when the fairing is secured to and being towed by a marine tow-line, the improvement of an elongate member, one end of which is carried by said leading edge of said fairing to form an acute angle therewith and lie on a line normally intersected by the plane of the fairing and a plane essentially horizontal when said fairing is being towed, the other end of said member being free;

the center of gravity of said elongate member and said fairing being forward of the tow point.

7. Apparatus for stabilizing the line of travel of a marine tow-line, comprising a fairing member having leading and trailing edges,

and a pay load carried by said fairing aft of the tow point; and an elongate member, one end of which is carried by the leading edge of said fairing member to form an acute angle therewith and lie on a line normally intersected by the plane of said fairing member and a plane essentially horizontal when said fairing member is being towed, the other end being free,

whereby the center of gravity of said elongate member and said fairing member, including pay load, is forward of the tow point.

No references cited.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A FAIRING MEMBER HAVING LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES AND ADAPTED FOR USE WITH MARINE TOW-LINES, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED MEMBER, ONE END OF WHICH IS CARRIED BY SAID LEADING EDGE OF SAID FAIRING TO FORM AN ACUTE ANGLE THEREWITH AND LIE ON A LINE NORMALLY INTERSECTED BY THE PLANE OF SAID FAIRING AND A PLANE ESSENTIALLY HORIZONTAL WHEN SAID FAIRING IS SECURED TO AND BEING TOWED BY A MARINE TOW-LINE, THE OTHER END OF SAID MEMBER BEING FREE; AND, THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID MEMBER BEING INTERMEDIATE ITS SAID ENDS BUT NEAREST ITS SAID FREE END. 